Proposes that offering students activities that exercise right-brain functions (nonverbal, nonrational, spatial, and intuitive) helps students become more fully developed human beings and better writers. (RL)

An authority on student assessment says the ability of public schools to meet federal expectations will depend on the instructional sensitivity of the tests in use. Offers a six-step blueprint for carrying out a public-information campaign about NCLB tests. Lists websites for two reports by five national education associations on instructionally…

Responds to the article by Kevin Ryan appearing in this issue recommending moral values education in the schools. This paper recommends that moral education avoid indoctrination of students and that moral questioning occur in an atmosphere of open discussion of alternatives so students understand they do not have to choose between hard work and…

Students who succeeded in school are almost always supported by their families, while other students struggle without support from home. For a school to develop a partnership program involving all parents in ways that increase student success requires new ways of thinking about family and community involvement. All schools need a purposeful,…

For any student, the first semester of graduate school is the most traumatic experience in his or her career as a graduate student. Fortunately, there are some things that can be done to make the transition for these students easier. Getting undergraduate students involved in the classrooms in positions of pedagogical responsibility is the most…

Portfolio assessment can be different in kind from traditional assessment measures: it can provide a fuller picture of the learner; it can be much more than an expanded grade book; but the criteria and language for evaluating and describing the portfolio must be different from those used for evaluating individual products. To describe the fuller…

Kentucky's PACE program, which was designed to provide adult basic education and parenting skills training for parents, early childhood education for children, and parent-child interaction and learning, lacks proof for the validity of its theoretical base and service model. Questions that need to be resolved before widespread replication of the…

A set of principles that focus on issues concerning implementation of a successful dropout prevention program is presented by a consortium of national educational organizations. The key elements of this "blueprint" consider local adaptations and effective results among various programs. The booklet discusses seven principles for dropout…

This paper examines the potential influence of school reform policies on the high school dropout rate. We summarize a diverse set of reports on American education which recommend increasing academic standards in schools as a means for improving secondary school performance. We also describe our understanding of the processes by which youngsters…

The fifth of eight related documents, this booklet is part of a series of papers presented at the 1978 National Right to Read Conference examining issues and problems in literacy. In examining the issue of student accountability, this booklet first sets forth the prototypical case of pupil illiteracy and surveys the arguments that can be made for…

The most accepted theoretical model for explaining how school desegregation produces academic benefits for minority children assumes that (a) school desegregation generates intergroup and interracial contact which (b) enables the achievement related values possessed by white children to be transmitted to minority students, which in turn (c)…

Describes a teaching method that uses Molly Bloom's soliloquy from James Joyce's "Ulysses" to teach punctuation to freshman writing students. Argues that the assignment helps students discover their power as orderers. (EL)

Assessing student performance is a multidimensional process that involves an assessment of their knowledge, skills, and attitudes. Evaluation of work attitudes/habits as well as knowledge and skills is needed to prepare students for success and satisfaction in agricultural occupations. (SSH)

Presents a case study of an adult student preparing for her first year of college through a writing course and work in a writing workshop. Explains complicating circumstances in the student's life. Presents four professional responses commenting on the difficulties of the situation and possible solutions. (TB)

Discusses how America can improve its educational system and student performance by creating equitable opportunities for all children to learn challenging curricula. Three problems are addressed: confronting entrenched beliefs, practices and policies; dealing with educational tracking; and working towards common rigorous standards combined with…